A conventional order entry system of this kind includes: a large number of handy terminals each operated by an employee, for inputting a customer's order; a kitchen printer, which is installed in a kitchen, for outputting order information on the customer; a point-of-sales (POS) terminal for performing checkout processing for the customer's order; and a management terminal for managing the customer's order, and transmitting the order information on the customer to the kitchen printer and the POS terminal. The POS terminal, the management terminal, and the kitchen printer are connected to one another through cable communications. Meanwhile, the handy terminals are connected to the system through radio communications.
For such an order entry system, a self-service order terminal (order terminal for a customer) that allows the customer to order himself/herself at each table has been developed in order to reduce labor costs and load on employees. The self-service order terminal is referred to also as “self-service terminal”. In this case, in the same manner as the handy terminals, the self-service terminals are connected to the system through radio communications.
Up to now, various order entry systems have been proposed.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses “an order management system” capable of realizing accurate shop entry processing and improvement in quality of a service in a self-service order, in which the customer orders himself/herself, by properly using one order terminal for the customer (self-service terminal) and another order terminal for the employee (handy terminal). In the order management system disclosed in Patent Literature 1, an employee being a waiting staff performs the shop entry processing by operating a keyboard of a terminal for the employee (handy terminal), and after the shop entry processing is finished, the customer guided to a predetermined table by the employee being a waiting staff orders himself/herself by operating an operation key of an order terminal for the customer (self-service terminal) provided on the table. Further, the order is canceled by the terminal for the employee (handy terminal).
Further, Patent Literature 2 discloses “an order terminal and an order entry system” in which an order terminal for the employee being a waiting staff (handy terminal) can also be used as an order terminal for the customer (self-service terminal). In Patent Literature 2, only by connecting an RFID reader/writer to the order terminal used by the employee, the order terminal shifts to a customer mode in which a function of inputting a table code is restricted. The order terminal can shift to an “employee mode” and the “customer mode”. In the “employee mode”, before handing over the order terminal to the customer, the employee being a waiting staff uses the keyboard to input the table code for the customer and the number of persons. Subsequently, the order terminal is connected to the RFID reader/writer being carried around, to thereby shift to the “customer mode”. Note that, the “employee mode” is referred to also as “staff mode”.
Patent Literature 3 discloses “a communication device” that allows the customer to order, which can be easily introduced at a low cost. In Patent Literature 3, an application on the handy terminal is switched between an order mode for the employee and an order mode for the customer by operating an operation button unit such as by pressing any one of switching buttons set in advance. Note that, the order mode for the employee and the order mode for the customer correspond to the staff mode and the customer mode, respectively.
In addition, Patent Literature 4 discloses a handy terminal configured to selectively display, on a touch-panel display, an input screen for the employee used when the employee who takes an order inputs the order information and an input screen for the customer used when the customer inputs the order information, and to receive an input of the order information by a touch operation on the touch-panel display. In Patent Literature 4, the input screen is switched over from the input screen for the employee to the input screen for the customer by setting the handy terminal into a cradle, pressing a switching key, or turning on/off a switch. Note that, the input screen for the employee and the input screen for the customer correspond to the staff mode and the customer mode, respectively.